Table 3. Comparison of the 6-Minute Walk Test and Incremental Shuttle Walk Test for Estimating Oxygen Consumption

Author Participation/subject Findings/comments
Morale et al. (1999) [60] Chronic heart failure Correlation with VO2: ISWT, r = 0.83; 6MWT, r = 0.69ROC: ISWT AUC 0.97; 6MWT AUC 0.83 (P = 0.02)
ATS Statement (2002) [7] Various cardiopulmonary diseases ISWT (compared to 6MWT) Closer to maximal exercise Stronger correlation with peak VO2Limitations of ISWT: less widely validated, less commonly used, and may carry a higher cardiovascular risk
Satake et al. (2003) [62] COPD ISWT vs VO2: r = 0.856MWT vs VO2: r = 0.69
Turner et al. (2004) [63] COPD No significant difference for prediction of peak VO2 6.82 + 0.02 × ISWT (m), r = 0.73, r2 = 0.53> 2.76 + 0.02 × 6MWT (m), r = 0.73, r2 = 0.54
Pulz et al. (2008) [19] Chronic heart failure No significant difference> Correlation with peak VO2: 6MWT, r = 0.76; ISWT, r = 0.79> Prediction of peak VO2 (14 mL/kg/min): 6MWT AUC, 0.89; ISWT AUC 0.91
Lim et al. (2022) [14] Myocardial infarction ISWT (r = 0.823) distance was more strongly correlated with peak VO2 than was 6MWT (r = 0.776)>HRmax showed a stronger correlation with CPET in ISWT (r = 0.815) than in 6MWT (r = 0.664)>Changes in HR in the 6MWT plateaued after the initial increase, while HR in the ISWT and CPX increased gradually
Chae et al. (2022) [67] COPD (meta-analysis of 12 research) Significant correlation between peak VO2 and 6MWT and ISWT distances (6MWT: r = 0.65, 95% CI 0.61–0.70; ISWT: r = 0.81, 95% CI 0.74–0.85; P < 0.0001)>Heterogeneity was lower in ISWT than in 6MWT (6MWT: I2 = 56%, P = 0.02; ISWT: I2 = 0%, P = 0.71)
ISWT: incremental shuttle walk test, 6MWT: 6-minute walk test, ROC: receiver operating characteristic, AUC: area under curve, VO2: oxygen consumption, COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, HR: heart rate